Politics roundup

  • Vice presidential candidate Bill Weld, at Libertarian ticket town hall with Gary Johnson: trade war that followed Smoot-Hawley tariff “croaked the world economy.” Points for using “croaked” in a policy debate [CNN transcript]
  • Litigator in chief? USA Today deep dive on Donald Trump’s lawsuit involvements including non-payment and tax categories [earlier]
  • Lawyers and law firms had given 350 times more to pro-Clinton than pro-Trump efforts as of late May [American Lawyer, graphic] Should a lawyer work for Trump? [Josh Blackman]
  • Be warned. “If Congress refuses to act, Hillary will take administrative action” against guns, her campaign vows [J.D. Tuccille]
  • Raises interesting constitutional issues whatever one’s views of a #NeverTrump revolt [Washington Examiner]
  • Trial lawyer/social conservative slate bid to control Texas GOP goes down in flames. [Texas Tribune, earlier]

2 Comments

  • The role of the Smoot-Hawley tariff is highly controversial, to say the least. The tariff was signed into law on June 17, 1930. The Great Depression was well underway by then – the stock market crashed in October, 1929. Saying it “croaked” the world economy is an absurd oversimplification – many economists feel it had little to no effect at all.

    BTW, whose side are these worthy Libertarians on, anyway?

    Barack Obama? JOHNSON: Good guy. Hillary Clinton? JOHNSON: Hillary Clinton, a wonderful public servant, I guess I would say that. Donald Trump? WELD: Huckster.

    • I wasn’t aware they had to be on a particular side other than their own?